Dre’Mont Jones Announces He Will Return For 2018 Season

Redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones announced on Thursday that he will return to Ohio State for his redshirt junior season.

My life long dream is to play in the NFL. In order to best achieve this goal, I have decided to forgo my draft eligibility and remain in school. OSU is providing me with a strong and solid foundation which will continue to make achieving my career possible. Go Bucks!

Jones recorded five tackles for loss and one sack in 2017 while playing limited minutes due to Ohio State’s frequent rotation of linemen. He figures to get more minutes this coming season, after the departures of fellow linemen Jalyn Holmes, Tyquan Lewis, Sam Hubbard, Michael Hill and Tracy Sprinkle.

Jones’ name appeared in the first round of several NFL mock drafts, but another season under OSU defensive line coach Larry Johnson could push him close to the top of the 2019 draft board.

With the Buckeyes’ deep rotation at defensive end down to just three returning players in 2018 (Nick Bosa, Jonathon Cooper, and Chase Young), Jones could see time rushing the passer in OSU’s “Rushmen” package. The package utilizes four defensive ends on the field together in likely passing downs, giving OSU a threat that opposing offensive lines have struggled to contain.

“Dre’Mont is going to finally get some third-down reps in the nickel package and he’s one of the best pass rushers I’ve ever seen in practice, so people haven’t really haven’t seen that aspect of his game. He’s fun to watch, so it’s going to be fun,” Bosa said at the time.